Flint House resident found with silicone baby doll and masses of child abuse material

Content warning: A Flint House resident has faced court after being sprung by police with a hyper-realistic baby doll, nappies, dummies, teddy bears and a huge amount of disturbing images.

Nathan Victor Lockley was sprung by police with disturbing items while living at New Town boarding house, Flint House.

A homeless man has avoided jail time after police sprung him with a hyper-realistic baby doll, nappies, dummies, teddy bears and a huge amount of disturbing images he tried to hide on his phone.

Nathan Victor Lockley, then 40, was living at New Town boarding house Flint House when police conducted a check on him on January 7 last year.

While sentencing in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Justice Stephen Estcourt said during the check, Lockley was asked to present his phone, but he said he’d left it in his truck at work.

Police then called his phone, with Lockley running inside his room and attempting to hide the device, which was plugged into a charger inside the doorway.

Police followed him and attempted to seize the phone, but Lockley attempted to close some of the open pages by swiping up until the phone was physically removed from his hands.

A large quantity of child exploitation material was found – both visible and saved to his phone – and he’d started a new download just 10 minutes before police had arrived.

When his room was searched, police found a Reborn Doll- a hyper-realistic silicone doll of a “baby humanoid” that Justice Estcourt said had the appearance of an Avatar.

Police also found male children’s swimwear, baby nappies, baby dummies and a number of teddy bears.

When Lockley’s phone was analysed, police found 1001 child abuse images, mostly depicting young children in sexual acts with adults – albeit with “no additional cruelty”.

Lockley, who has relevant prior convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material, failing to comply with a community protection order, and wilfully obstructing a police officer.

Justice Estcourt said Lockley – who had been employed as Flint House’s house manager after his release from a previous stint in prison – suffered from alcohol abuse disorder, which was now properly managed.

Flint House, New Town.

He said Lockley moved to North Hobart’s Bethlehem House, which was a “dry” house and was entirely sober, but he lost his accommodation there and was now homeless.

Lockley was given a two-year wholly-suspended jail term, and his name will remain on the sex offenders’ register for eight years.

Follow @ambervwilson